Wagers and Demands
by Blue-Starlight92
Summary: Set in Duelist Kingdom, the night before the finals. Manga-verse. Bakura goes exploring in the middle of the night and runs into Pegasus. The two have a... not so friendly chat.


**A/N: This is just a little oneshot. I got the idea some months ago, and started working on it a few weeks ago. Thank you so much to my lovely beta: Satiah! **

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><p>Pegasus' mansion, as Ryou Bakura was currently discovering, was one of the creepiest places in the world at night. Well, in reality, it wasn't too bad (it wasn't like it actually looked creepy) but just being up alone, when he didn't know where anything was, or where the guards were, was creepy. And the whole place had an… aura about it. He wanted to figure it out. He wanted to see what Pegasus was hiding. And he really hadn't had time to see anything during the day.<p>

'_Know thy enemy, eh host?_' Bakura nearly jumped out of his skin- but then realized that the voice was coming from inside his head. Him… again.

'_Yes, me._' Yami Bakura chuckled. '_Better watch out for the guards- you've already been out once tonight._'

What? When had he been out? He hadn't left his room since between dinner and a few minutes ago! …Hadn't he? Bakura clenched his fists as he realized what had happened. The spirit had gone out earlier, leaving him locked in his soul room and dead to the world… as usual. Bakura briefly wondered if the spirit had run into anyone or gotten him in trouble.

'_You distracted a pair of guards for Tristan, who was looking for the Kaiba brothers._' Yami Bakura answered his thoughts the second he came up with them, just as he always did.

You probably scared him. Bakura thought bitterly.

'_Ha! Hardly- he's convinced he met you in the hall, not me. You're easy to act out- all I have to do is put on an innocent face and take forever to realize the obvious. Your "friends" can't tell the difference.'_

Bakura bit his lip, clenching his fists again. It hurt: and yet, he knew it was probably true. The spirit was a good actor (he could fool his own father, and had on a number of occasions. Fooling his friends was probably child's play to him.) And they hadn't known him that long, after all. He'd only transferred into Domino High a few months ago. And who knew how many times the spirit had acted as him when talking to his friends? Bakura, ever since "meeting" the spirit, had often found himself not knowing what day it was, and often a whole week would go by that was blank in his memory. Honestly, Bakura didn't know why he was coherent right now, even. Except for the fact that exploring probably met the spirit's goals in some way, shape, or form.

The spirit didn't speak again, and Bakura soon absorbed himself in looking around as he walked through the halls. It wasn't too hard to avoid the guards, once he figured out the pattern of where they were. Bakura was quiet by nature, and with his steps muffled by the carpet, he could make himself almost undetectable if he tried. And, as he moved through the mansion, they became less frequent. Not too bad at all, really. As he walked further, he began to see more art on the walls: busts on stands, and paintings in beautiful frames. The paintings themselves were brilliant and a glance at the signature confirmed that they were, in fact, painted by Pegasus. As with the paintings in the dining hall, his brilliance as an artist showed. Bakura could draw, paint, and do a bit of work with clay, but this really was in a league way beyond his own skill. While his sketches were usually alright (well, he was told by his friends, and even several of his art teachers that they were very good, but he always saw too many flaws whenever he looked at them) his paintings always ended up messed up somehow, something just not quite right. But these…

Bakura jumped as he heard footsteps and tried to hide himself behind one of the supporting pillars. It couldn't be a guard, afterall, they came in pairs. Could it really be-

"Isn't it past your bedtime, Bakura?" Pegasus. The question was a lazy drawl, clearly rhetorical, and Bakura wouldn't have answered it even if it wasn't.

He came out from behind the pillar; it was hardly a good hiding place anyway. "I was just-"

"Exploring." Pegasus sounded bored. Now that the white-haired teen was closer, he approached him, placing a finger underneath the boy's chin to make him look him in the eye.

Bakura froze, unable to look anywhere but the man's face, automatically drawn to the flash of gold behind the long white bangs.

After a moment, Pegasus gave a short, humorless, laugh. "The millennium ring destroys the weak who attempt to bear it with no mercy. And yet, its chosen bearer, much like the puzzle, is a slip of a boy who can scarcely defend himself. How hypocritical."

Bakura's jaw tightened, his eyes hardening. "As the saying goes: mind over matter. The strongest brutes have the same minds as the ants they crush on the ground."

A smirk. "And roses have their thorns. Good." The finger under his chin lifted higher, forcing Bakura onto his toes if he didn't want to expose his neck, and Bakura just knew he'd better not let his eyes leave this man. His fists clenched almost painfully tight; it was humiliating to have to stand here and take this, but it was too much like the "games" the spirit of the ring would often play with him for Bakura to think he really had a choice in the matter. A hand reached out and lifted the millennium ring from where it rested heavily against his chest. Pegasus seemed to study it for a moment, then let it drop- one of the spikes sharp even through the fabric of Bakura's shirt.

"Know this, Bakura." Pegasus didn't move his hand from under the boy's chin, keeping their eyes locked. "When I win the duel against Yugi tomorrow, I will trap not only his soul, but yours as well, and take the millennium ring from you. So say your prayers, and say your goodbyes." He released his chin roughly, and started to turn, before Bakura grabbed his wrist- making the Duel King face him.

Bakura smirked, the expression not unlike the one the spirit so often wore when he took over his body, and honestly, even Bakura wasn't sure if it was the spirit talking, or if it was still him. "And if Yugi wins? What should I take from you, Pegasus?" He tapped just below his left eye meaningfully, and then released the man's wrist. Pegasus gave him a long look, and then walked away.

It wasn't until he was much closer to where the duelists rooms were, and suddenly took a turn that he didn't plan on, that he realized he'd been out of control of his body from the moment he'd grabbed Pegasus' wrist.

"_For once our movements are the same."_ The spirit didn't laugh aloud, but Bakura heard his thoughts as if he had. _"Now watch. This should prove to be interesting._" He 'said' as the spirit headed further into a darkened hallway, and Bakura could only wonder what was happening, but was completely powerless to stop it.


End file.
